MindFreedom Lane County

MindFreedom Lane County E-Lists

Update 1: Get occasional public alerts about activity in Lane County, Oregon for human right and alternatives in the mental health system. Also announcing: an open public discussion list.

Lane First Steps

A list of initial ways that Lane County mental health agencies can change to offer a greater range of choice for clients.

MindFreedom Lane County Agenda

Draft of a proposed agenda by MindFreedom for a nonviolent revolution of mental health services in Lane County, Oregon, USA.

MF Lane County events

Events related directly or indirectly to MindFreedom Lane County in Oregon, USA, and campaigns for human rights in the mental health system.

Those who know best get left out

Long time advocate and psychiatric survivor Drake Ewbank wrote this article in close collaboration with and on behalf of the Lane County Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Council.

City of Eugene

Information about MindFreedom Lane County activities and news specific to the City of Eugene.

Lane County Mental Health Consumer Council Bylaws

Lane County, Oregon, USA government has helped create a “mental health consumer” council to advise the mental health system. Representatives from agencies and organizations in the mental health field are encouraged to send a client representative to these monthly meetings. Here are the bylaws last revised on 27 December 2005 as an attached MS Word document

Overcoming child trauma

Article about new “Trauma Healing Project” in Eugene, Oregon, USA mentions MindFreedom International.

OPAL

OPAL network is an alliance of groups in Lane County, Oregon that support the voice, empowerment, and self-determination of mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors. Thanks much to LILA and many other groups for supporting this successful project. You are invited!

LILA

Lane Independent Living Alliance is a cross-disability independent living center based in Eugene, Oregon. LILA is working to support empowerment and self-determination and inclusion of people labeled with mental disabilities, including mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors.

Community Village Council Selection

MindFreedom participates in the Community Village of the Oregon Country Fair. Here is information from John Flannery of the Community Village about how the Community Village selects their leadership, which is called the Council.

The “Swiftboating” of a Mental Health Advocate

This is a news release issued by MindFreedom Lane County of Oregon, USA.

Ron Unger

Ron Unger is a full-time counselor in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Ron is coordinator of MindFreedom Lane County.

MindFreedom Lane County First Wednesday Round Table

Almost every first Wednesday of the month, at 5:30 pm, MindFreedom Lane County holds a public, free meeting with important news, presentation and open moderated discussion. The location is the community Round Table directly outside the MindFreedom office on the second floor of 454 Willamette, Suite 216, Eugene, Oregon, USA. Check to make sure the meeting is happening. All are welcome. Wheelchair accessible.

Request to Lane County Mental Health for Data on Empowerment

MindFreedom Lane County made a request to Lane County Commissioners for some basic data to help measure the rate of empowerment, self-determination and choice in the mental health system. The County Commissioners unanimously agreed this request for data was reasonable. The below request was made to Lane County Mental Health on 29 November 2007, with the agreement that at least some of the data would be provided by a two-month time-frame, on 29 January 2008.

MindFreedom Dialogue with LaneCare about Agenda

MindFreedom Lane County has been in dialogue with LaneCare about a 10 step program toward an agenda of empowerment and self-determination and choice in the mental health system. Ron Unger, coordinator of MindFreedom Lane County, has helped lead this dialogue. You may read some of the results here.

MindFreedom’s dialogue with to Lane County about data on mental health.

In November 2007, MindFreedom leaders Ron Unger and David Oaks appeared before the Lane County Board of County Commissioners to make a request for data about empowerment, self-determination and coercion in the mental health system in Lane County. All five of the County Commissioners said they found the request reasonable, and that they would like to put these issues on the agenda. MindFreedom Lane County submitted a request for this data on 28 November 2007 to Al Levine, manager of Lane County Mental health, and Rob Rockstroh, director of Health & Human Services for Lane County. Update: 21 February 2008 the first data was sent by Al Levine to MindFreedom Lane County.

Guide to Empowerment in Mental Health in Lane County

MindFreedom Lane County composed this brief guide to ways that mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors can begin to have more of a voice. Download, print out “back to back” as a two-sided flyer, and please distribute widely. This is not meant as a full list, if you have resources to submit please e-mail them to lane@mindfreedom.org. [Updated as of March. 2008]

Dr. Bhargavi Davar Presentation

A poster, in PDF format, announcing a presentation by Dr. Bhargavi Davar: “Globalization of the Mental Health Industry: The View from India’s Psychiatric Survivors”

Info about The Normathon skit in Lane County

Lane County, Oregon residents who are feeling a little crazy are invited to participate in the first annual Normathon, a peaceful free skit on Saturday, 17 May 2008, at 4 pm, Broadway & Willamette, Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Lane County Empowerment Guidelines Approved by Consumer Consumer

Here is a draft, from March 2009, revised by the Lane County Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Council in March 2009 to Lane County guidelines about mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor participation and empowerment in mental health services. This file is in “RTF” format and should be readable by any word processing application.

Why Guidelines Require Revision

You may download a text document, “Why the ‘Lane County and LaneCare Guidelines Relative to Consumer Participation and Empowerment’ require revision.”

City Club of Eugene Event on Homelessness Experiences Controversy

When the City Club of Eugene held a gathering on 20 November 2009 about the growing homelessness in the community, they experienced some controversy. A woman identifying herself as someone who has experienced homelessness tried to extend her question into a long presentation. She was asked to stop by City Club organizers. MindFreedom members were not involved in organizing the event, but were sitting nearby.

City Club

The City Club of Eugene, Oregon, is devoted to building community vision through open inquiry.

Timeline: Asking Lane County and LaneCare to Support Mental Health Client Empowerment

For several years MindFreedom Lane County has asked the mental health agencies LaneCare and Lane County Mental Health to adopt specific guidelines to support the empowerment of mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors. Instead of quickly adopting specific and strong guidelines, Lane County has delayed for years, issuing draft guidelines that leave out many key points about self-determination, choice and full recovery. Here is a chronology.

Lane County and LaneCare Guidelines Consumer Participation and Empowerment

In 2008, Lane County and LaneCare adopted these guidelines regarding empowerment of and participation by mental health clients in Lane County. You may download this file here. It is an “RTF” file and should be readable by any word processing program. MindFreedom Lane County and the Lane County Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Council felt these guidelines were not strong enough, and came up with their revised guidelines.

Headquarters for Lane County Mental Health in Eugene, Oregon

Jury Returns Verdict on SAFE, Inc. Lawsuit: News Release From SAFE, Inc.

SAFE, Inc. sued Lane County, Oregon. After three weeks of testimony, the jury reached its decision on Friday, 4 June 2010. While the jury ruled against SAFE, Inc., the jury awarded Lane County no money. Here is a forwarded news release provided by SAFE, Inc. following that decision, and the authors are responsible for the content. For more information use the contact data provided.

News Coverage about SAFE, Inc. – Valia – Wonderland

The Eugene Register-Guard published four stories in Spring 2010 about the challenges facing the community center run mainly by mental health consumers in Springfield, Oregon, known as SAFE, Inc. Also known as Wonderland, they ran a mental health clinic Valia. Lane County shut down the program, and SAFE, Inc. sued. Below are the Register-Guard stories in chronological order. (Forwarding this news is not necessarily an endorsement of accuracy.)

Guide to Empowerment in Lane County for Mental Health Peer Advocacy

Here’s the latest two-page guide to your empowerment for Lane County mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors. This is a PDF.

Statement about Officer Chris Kilcullen and Mental Health Care

City of Eugene Police Officer Chris Kilcullen was shot and killed on 22 April 2011 by an individual who has confessed, and been identified by the media as a person with a long mental disability history, diagnosed both “schizophrenic” and “developmentally disabled.” You can find information here about statements from mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor community.

Info on Lane County Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Advisory Council

Here is material, announcements, minutes, etc. related to the monthly meetings that advise Lane County about the views of local mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors, at public meetings in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

From Ativan to Acupuncture: Mental Health Alternatives

Long-time national mental health peer leader, Laura Van Tosh, spoke in Eugene, Oregon about her quest for well-being, including quitting her psychiatric drugs. This reporter covered the event, which took place at the Lane County, Oregon’s mental health consumer/survivor advisory council.